Destination chaos: but this time the ride is free

Standstill . . . while commuters fumed and politicians made promises yesterday, immobile Tangaras at the Hornsby maintenance centre stood as morose symbols of a rail system in a shambles. Photo: Peter Morris

The Carr Government is offering Sydney's beleaguered rail commuters a week's free travel as an apology for a week of turmoil, but unions predict the move will lead to longer queues of passengers.

The Government claimed 300 of 1226 full-time CityRail train drivers are refusing overtime.

The Premier, Bob Carr, yesterday issued a strong defence of his tough line on medical standards for drivers since the report into the Waterfall rail disaster.

As Mr Carr ordered the free travel gesture to passengers "for what they've gone through", he admitted: "I know that everyone who receives it would say 'I would prefer a reliable service'."

RailCorp's chief executive officer, Vince Graham, said that weekly customers with tickets purchased at any time between last Monday and this Sunday would be able to exchange them for the same ticket covering the following week, or obtain a voucher to use before June.

Monthly, quarterly or yearly holders could also register for a free weekly voucher. Daily ticket purchasers would be offered a fare-free day in March.

Mr Graham said the number of train drivers refusing to undertake overtime had risen from 100 to 300 and yesterday the network again suffered from extensive cancellations and delays.

RailCorp said last night of its 200 afternoon peak-hour services, 10 previously announced trains were cancelled and five "non-planned" services were axed, four due to mechanical problems and one to driver shortages.

Trains broke down at Bondi Junction about 3pm and at Martin Place at 4.40pm, and a signal failed at North Sydney about 3pm as rush hour began to build.

There were delays of 15 to 30 minutes across the network.

The head of the Rail Tram and Bus Union, Nick Lewocki, said the free travel offer could lead to more queuing for customers as expired tickets were exchanged for the free ones. But a RailCorp spokeswoman, Helen Willoughby, said this was not expected.

The Government has sought legal advice on its right to compel drivers to work reasonable overtime to ease the crisis caused by a shortage of drivers.

Mr Lewocki confirmed that drivers could be required to do "reasonable" overtime, but said the Government would face difficulty defining what that meant. The rail network only functioned anyway because management relied heavily on overtime, he said.

The Minister for Transport Services, Michael Costa, will meet the union at 8 o'clock this morning to hear drivers' concerns. Mr Costa and Mr Lewocki have not spoken for more than four weeks.

In comments directed at Mr Carr and Mr Costa, Mr Lewocki said: "Continually attacking drivers only puts in the minds of drivers that they should be running a campaign."

Rail workers planned to hand out postcards to commuters this morning to put their case.

A union newsletter sent to railway staff accuses the Government of blaming train drivers as a public distraction following the Waterfall disaster. It says the union wants to "expose the lies and focus the blame where it belongs." RailCorp said yesterday there was not yet a conclusive explanation for last Thursday's transport chaos, which had been attributed to a gas leak.